For several years, I had been scouring RV Trader and Craigslist for a used Roadtrek 190 Class B camping van. I’d love to buy new but that was way above our budget. Fortunately, a little over a year ago I found one in our price range, with low-mileage and in great condition. Bonus – it was located in the Midwest. After a little negotiation, we were able to purchase our Roadtrek.
Next became the challenge of what we would name it. We have always named our vehicles, not sure why, but we always have. Previous camper vans were, The Green Machine and the latest one, The Gypsy Wagon. I have long been fascinated with Lewis and Clark. Since I love dogs, I thought it would be fitting to name our new van after Lewis & Clark’s faithful dog, Stickeen. You know, that large black Newfoundland who accompanied them on their journey. As I thought about that name, something didn’t seem quite right. Oh yes, that was the name of John Muir’s dog. Lewis & Clark’s dog was named Seaman. I pondered that for a few minutes. Seaman. Somehow the sound of that didn’t conjure up the exact image I had in mind. Grandson: “What are you doing Gramma?” Me: “Oh, Grampa and I are sitting in Seaman, riding out to see you.” Nope. Go to Plan B. Since it was Gramma and Grampa’s new camper van, it would be christened “Gram-per Camper.”
It was time for our annual Christmas journey to Washington. Each year, we have flown out. We have never had our Christmas journey go without problems. Flying in the middle of winter, during one of the most traveled times of the year, just doesn’t make for a great trip. Although we were so excited to see our family, we dreaded the idea of flying in December. I had gotten on the computer to look at ticket prices. I wrote down some options and decided I’d wait till Hubby and I talked about it later that evening before purchasing them. When I got back on the website that evening, the tickets had gone up almost $200 a piece. It would now cost us $400 more – that’s a lot of money. That flight plan “crashed and burned!” Why not drive and take the dogs with us. Leaving the dogs behind was a heart-breaker each time we had flown at Christmas; they are such a part of our family. We had Gram-per Camper that would be perfect to travel to Washington! Our only reservation was that winter storms can develop quickly and turn travel into a dangerous situation. We have a generator with the van so if we were not able to find a campsite and hook up to electricity, we could use the generator to make the furnace work. If necessary, we could always stay in an RV park close to town for a few days till the roads were clear. We were planning to be gone for almost 3 weeks so we had plenty of days to wait out any storms. We were excited!!! We hadn’t ever winter camped before so that presented a few problems, but nothing that wasn’t able to be managed. Our biggest dilemma was what route to take. Normally we would take I-35 up to I-90 and take that all the way to WA or go I-80 west and then I-84 to I-90 to WA. Several blizzards and bad storms in the midsection on the United States axed that plan. We were now going south on I-35 till we got to I-40 (Route 66) through to CA and then head up on I-5. Come tour our home on wheels for the next few weeks!
Normally, the bed is actually two couches, one on each side with a small cabinet and table in between. The couches are folded down and the table is placed in the middle to support the couches. In this fashion, we now had a comfy queen-sized bed. Had we been spending a few days at each campground, I would have used the couches by day and made the bed up each night. For this trip though, we wanted to enjoy our travels, but would drive several miles each day stopping at dark to make camp. We would be going to bed shortly after having supper. I put a memory foam 3 inch mattress on top of the couch/bed. With the owl flannel sheets, warm blanket and cozy quilt, we stayed plenty warm.
Normally for safety, we would have crated or harnessed our dogs when traveling in our Honda, but with the Gram-per Camper, there is no place for a crate. Abby sometimes liked to lay on the bed and look out the windows, but most of the time, all three of the dogs were snuggled up between the seats. Of course, we had to pack Heidi’s beloved doggie bed.
Once, Abby thought she should ride “shotgun,” but we had to put an end to that idea!
We had a converter so that we could plug a regular cord into our cellphone power supply. This made it perfect for plugging in the crockpot and having our supper cooking as we traveled down the road! Our first night on the road was Rosemary/herb Cornish Hens with red potatoes, all cooking away in the crockpot. Yummy! We did use paper plates and cups to make a few less dishes to wash as we were traveling with a dry camper.
Since it was Christmastime, and we were leaving home for most of the season, the only thing we could do was decorate the camper. We even had our own little Christmas tree decorated with owls, doggie bones, dog footprints, and shiny balls.
To keep dirt from collecting on the floor, we put down our “Happy Owlidays” rug. I think it coordinated well with the Christmas towels and owl bedding. What do you think?
We installed string LED multicolored lights along the top of the cabinets, but that was too hard to get a decent picture. Hubby said “no” to a wreath tied to the front of the camper so I tied Christmas balls to the antlers of “Chester” instead. Chester is a stuffed moose that we got years ago when the kids were little. He has accompanied us on all our travels. He rides up on the dash and helps navigate our adventures. 😉 Although his “fur” has faded and he’s so tired he has a hard time holding up his antlers, he would be greatly missed on any trips. With our Christmas decorated “Home Sweet Home on Wheels,” presents packed in the cupboards, and Silent Night playing on the radio, we were definitely in the Christmas Spirit!
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
